Top 9 travel trends to watch in 2019

Intrepid Travel have announced its travel forecast for 2019, revealing that Aussie travellers are seeking meaningful escapes in remote locations. But you'll be stunned by just how remote.

As put by Intrepid Group CEO James Thornton, 2019 will be the year of escaping. "Next year will be the 'coming of age' for travellers as we see significant changes to how, why and where they holiday," explains Thornton.

"The traveller of 2019 will be defined by their strong social conscience and a heightened sense of adventure."

Click through to discover what trends to look out for.

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1. 'Getting away from
it' all will go next level

We can all relate to the need to escape social media, work, and the chaos of everyday life, and this is now going to start influencing our travel choices. Travellers will be opting for uncharted expeditions to unknown places with little connection to the outside world. Think journeys 3500 kilometres from Kazakhstan to adventures along Mongolia roads not yet mapped by Google.

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2. Anti-consumerism
will drive people away at Christmas

Sorry Mum and Dad, but credit card debit, unwanted presents and over-the-top marketing from retailers will drive more people out of the country for Christmas 2019. Breaking away from tradition, holiday makers will be likely choosing the steamy destinations of India, Cambodia and central America instead of a white Christmas – or Christmas spent at home with family.

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3. Travel will become
a tangible way to empower women in developing countries

The #MeToo movement had a huge impact on travellers in 2018. In 2019, more women will travel to developing countries to support local women. Programs, such as Intrepid's newly launched Women’s Only Expeditions or Visit.org's 'Travel the World for a Cause' app, which allows users to select travel experiences based on women's empowerment and human rights, will let travellers walk in the shoes of local women around the world.

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4. Travel will also
allow women to empower themselves

Each year more women are travelling to destinations outside of their comfort zones, and this will be a major trend in 2019. Be it achieving a goal like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or diving into ayurvedic tradition, or even yoga in South India.

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5. Forgotten
destinations will make a comeback

In the past few years, overtourism has become an issue, and as a result travellers will start giving 'underrated' locations a go. Already, trip searches for Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Moldova, Greenland, Kazakhstan and Hungary have increased.

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6. Travellers seek
honorary citizenships

The phrase 'living like a local' will go up a notch in 2019, with holiday makers seeking out more local experiences than ever before. One example is the Tehran tour, where travellers can take the train with locals, and female travellers can experience the fascinating women-only carriages, where everything from make-up to lingerie is sold to passengers on board.

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7. Passports become
cookbooks

Buying a cookbook is so 2018. Travellers want to learn about the local ingredients, methods and be able to take their skills back with them so they can do it at home. As a result, food tours are on the rise, particularly in places like Sri Lanka.

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8. Travellers will no
longer be deterred by fear mongering

Next year, travellers won't allow media reports, news, propaganda and fear mongering to influence their travel decisions. After a few tough years, there has been a 132 per cent increase in Aussies travelling to Turkey in September 2018 compared to the same time last year. Expect a rise in trips to countries like Iran, and Egypt.

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9. Aussies will get
better acquainted with Japan

Start practising your Japanese. Japan is set to be the hottest destination of 2019 with the Rugby World Cup next year followed by the Olympics in 2020. This will see more Aussies in the streets of Japan than ever before. Already, travel to Japan is up 37per cent and 2019 bookings at an all-time high according to Intrepid Travel.